We love our make-ahead appetizers at Canadian Living and there's nothing easier to whip together in advance than a savoury dip. Especially this Eggplant Walnut Dip  – it doesn't even require reheating! In fact, making this dip in advance lets the ingredients meld together and actually improves the flavour. Not wild about walnuts? There are a couple of tips that we use in the Test Kitchen to ensure walnuts are tasty and buttery, not bitter or astringent. 1) Be sure to buy fresh walnuts from California. California walnuts are shipped and stored in a cold environment, keeping their very volatile oils from going rancid, (rancidity is what causes that telltale bitterness). 2) Soak your walnuts in water overnight and then toast them slowly in the oven. This removes the mouth-drying qualities that fresh walnuts often have. We used the same technique in this delicious Maple Walnut Butter! Trust me, it might seem a bit painstaking, but you have to try this technique to believe how much it changes the flavour of the finished product!  Photography: Jeff Coulson